Learn to Love
by TheWammy'sHouseReject
Summary: Rough and brutal. Tender and kind. Beast and Beauty. In the end, love conquers all- even the bonds of death. **ZabuHaku, Yaoi**
1. Chapter 1

I love Zabuza :D

Fire is red

Water is blue

I don't own Naruto

So you cannot sue ^^

It may have been pity that inspired him to save the boy.

(…But Zabuza didn't pity.)

It may have been concern.

(…But Zabuza didn't show concern over the welfare of others.)

Perhaps it was merely a whim.

(But what kind of whim inspired Zabuza- _Zabuza, _of all people- to save a young boy's life?)

He decided it didn't matter. What _did _matter, however, was that the boy was here now, sleeping on a futon on the other side of the room.

Zabuza crouched down on the floor, simply watching the boy sleep. An odd feeling of contentment settled over him- something he hadn't felt in his life.

The boy (_Haku, _he reminded himself) had been surprisingly cooperative, following Zabuza without any deliberation. Perhaps he, like Zabuza, knew that, if nobody would take him in or care for him, there was little doubt that he would die.

_("You'll die a beggar's death," _Zabuza had said. Both of them knew just how true that was.)

He had simply stared at Zabuza with those wide, sad eyes. They were haunted, shadows of the past making them dark. Filled with fear and sadness. (Those eyes haunted Zabuza.)

But there was something else there. A glimmer of light- of _hope. _They sparkled with dreams and an undying love.

(_"You have the same eyes as me._

…Zabuza kept wondering what on Earth Haku had meant.)

Haku whimpered, his peaceful sleep becoming suddenly restless.

Zabuza ran his rough fingers through Haku's dark hair. It was as soft and fine, like the down of the ducklings that hatched by the pond near Zabuza's first childhood home.

The motion seemed to soothe Haku for a time, but he was soon whining again, struggling against an unseen enemy.

"Hn, daddy, no…daddy…"

_("Father, please stop! I promise I'll never do it again!")_

Unwelcome childhood memories came flooding back into Zabuza's mind. He shook his head and growled.

_("I'll never make you angry again, I swear! Please don't hurt me anymore!"_

_"Please…")_

"Daddy, please, _no! _Please!"

Haku's voice rose to a fever pitch, loud and frantically desperate.

"Haku."

Zabuza's gruff voice was enough to wake him. Haku awoke, still trembling. Still crying.

"Please… don't hurt me," he whimpered. Zabuza shushed him roughly.

"Calm down. It's just me."

He pulled Haku into a fierce embrace, his strong arms wrapping tightly around the tiny, frail body.

(Zabuza had never learned how to comfort. He had never learned to be kind. Never learned to be gentle.)

All he knew how to do was let Haku cry into his chest, his tiny hands knotting into the fabric of the older man's shirt.

Zabuza felt a strange, warm feeling begin in his heart. He swallowed it down rather quickly, vowing to ignore it.

~oOo~

"I don't need things like friendship or comfort, and you shouldn't expect such things from me," Zabuza says. (He wants to make sure that Haku _knows _that last night will not happen again.)

Haku nods in understanding.

"Of course. You only need to see me as a tool for you to use in any way you want."

(Those eyes are haunting him again.)

"…Good boy."

~oOo~

Haku ran up the hill, holding a white rabbit in his arms. It struggled its way free and bounced away, disappearing into a bush.

Hearing Haku's disappointed whine, Zabuza reached into the bush and pulled the rabbit out by the ears. Haku's frown instantly turned into a radiant smile. He hugged the rabbit close and giggled. The warm feeling Zabuza had in his heart came back with full force. He ruffled Haku's hair, letting himself smile a little behind the bandages.

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><p>Cherries are red<p>

Angst fic is blue

I know you'll be nice

And leave me a review :D


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry this update is so late. Please forgive me TAT

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><p>The night was cold, a few stray flakes of snow swirling toward the ground. Haku was shivering beneath his thin blanket, clutching the rabbit he caught earlier. Zabuza watched him for awhile, trying not to let his pity get the best of him. There was only one other blanket. Why should he give it up?<p>

Haku's lips were tinged a light blue, his pale face pink in the cheeks. He didn't dare ask Zabuza for something warmer. He simply suffered in silence, clutching his rabbit closer.

He stroked the bunny's soft fur, kissed its head, anything to get a bit of heat. He closed his eyes, snuggled close, and tried his best to fall asleep, curled beneath a threadbare blanket. He's so tired...he's so cold.

Then, another blanket was thrown over him, along with Zabuza's strong arm. Warmth envelops him, along with a sense of security he'd nearly forgotten.

"Better?" Zabuza asked, gruffly, tersely. Haku nodded sleepily.

"My bunny hopped away," he whined.

"You'll find it again," Zabuza lied. Haku knew it was a lie, but he didn't care. He fell asleep easily after that, safe, warm, and happy.

Zabuza grumbled to himself, wondering when he had gotten so soft. Haku was just a stupid kid, with nobody to look after him. He had looked so helpless, shivering in the snow, just waiting to die, all alone.

Why the hell did Zabuza care? He was a shinobi, a missing-nin and a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Pity and kindness were supposed to be nothing to him. He shouldn't have cared.

He kept making excuses for himself, trying to justify it, telling himself it wasn't really pity. Some days he was better at convincing himself than others.

Unconsciously, Zabuza ran his fingers through Haku's downy hair. It used to be lonely on nights like these, now that his comrades were dead or in prison. Even Kisame, the strongest of them all, had vanished without a trace. . .Zabuza never found out what became of him.

Haku murmured in his sleep, a happy, carefree sound. And suddenly, the bitter cold that bit at his bare skin didn't seem quite so bad.

He was so innocent. So full of life, so fucking pure that it hurt.

Zabuza held Haku against his chest. He was warm, and it was very welcome on a night like this.

He didn't know jack shit about taking care of a child. He didn't know what to do if he ever got sick, or if he had a nightmare or scraped his knee. Zabuza didn't know what to do when Haku asked him difficult questions or asked him about sex.

Damn it. What the _hell_ had he gotten himself into?

Haku was just a kid. he was weak. That made him a liability. Zabuza refused to drag the stupid kid around if he couldn't protect himself when the time came. If Haku was going to stick around, he would have to learn to hold his own.

Just like he had. Just like any Shinobi had to. The kid wasn't a Shinobi yet, but the younger he learned, the better, and it seemed like he'd gotten a late start as it was.

Zabuza forced himself to close his eyes.

He'd worry about that tomorrow.


End file.
